“Millennials” is the name most commonly applied to people born in the 1980s and the 1990s, the generation now graduating from college and university.
Alternatively known as Gen Y, Generation Why, Adultescents, Echo Boomers, Generation Next, Gen I (Generation Internet), and Generation Tech, this generation is placed between the years 1978 and 1996 - an 18-year span which "matches" that of the baby boomers and is typical of the 18-20 year span of any generation. By 2018, over 90 million Millennials will be of voting age in the United States. The coming political changes wrought by this census should not be underestimated. "The huge numbers of Millennials have the potential to drive a new progressive era,” states the New Politics Institute. A new era that will “reinvent what it means to be progressive and take on the new challenges of the 21st Century.” The Millennials are regarded an “unusual” generation, not like many the world has seen for some time. As noted by prominent generational analysts, William Strauss and Neil Howe, Millennials are neither "cynical" like Gen X or "individualistic risk-takers" like the Boomers. Surprisingly, out of all the generations within the last century, Millennials have been compared to the GI Generation. This is the “generation that grew up in the depression, fought in World War II, and came home to build a powerful national economy along with strong, effective community institutions,” write Art Fritzon, Lloyd W. Howell Jr., and Dov S. Zakheim in a strategy + business article titled “Military of the Millennials.” Like the GI's, the Millennials appear to be deeply committed to family, community, and are politically engaged. Recent census data conducted in the U.S. show that the Millennials are a generation who vote. They are also a generation who volunteer. According to a study released last year by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute, nearly 70% of freshmen surveyed said it is "essential or very important" to help others - the highest percentage to say so in 25 years. Likewise, a Pew Research Center Study conducted last year showed Millennials to be the most tolerant generation “on record.” Technology No generation understands the new technologies shaping politics, business, culture and communications quite as intuitively as the Millennials do. Various surveys within the last few years consistently show that Millennials spend, on average, more than 20 hours a week online. Approximately 86% use email every day, over 50 percent access news online, 41% use MySpace, Facebook or other similar social networking sites, and 40% IM (Instant Message) each other daily. The way to get this generation’s attention is clearly through as many streams of media as possible. Indeed, more than any other generation, the Millennials use mobile media as an extension of their everyday lives. Through text messages, homemade videos and music, weblogs and personal pages, this generation insists on using technology to communicate. In this respect, Millennials could very well instigate political change in the coming years by using media in a new way. “Military of the Millennials,” a fascinating article on this subject, appeared in strategy + business in March of this year as part of a commission by the U.S. Air Force to study the Millennials and their implications for the military. Senior U.S. Military Officers commissioned the study after discovering junior officers were using Facebook to organize squadrons. Beyond questioning what this would do to military security, these senior officers grappled with the following dilemma: “Forbid the behaviour, and risk losing the benefits of an online community, or protect it and risk the wrath of more senior officers who just didn’t understand.” As writers Art Fritzon, Lloyd Howell Jr., and Dov S. Zakheim state, this kind of conundrum applies to a large range of organizations, not just the U.S. Military. Millennials "live on the Internet," and view knowledge not as power, but as something that "belongs to everyone and creates a basis for building new relationships and fostering dialogue.” Moreover, they have “grown up seeing the thoughts, reactions, and even indiscretions of their friends and peers posted on a permanent, universally accessible global record." The world the Millennials inhabit conflicts with the typical “command-and-control” organizational structure found not only in the military, but in many organizations. Generational Conflict “North America lives in a world created by a generation collectively known as The Matures,” writes Cam Marsten, author of “Motivating the “What’s In It For Me?” Workforce.” The Baby Boomers, born between 1945 and 1964, hold most of the leadership positions in any business, government, or military organization. According to Marsten, most Boomers ascribe to a work ethic and define success in a manner similar to the Matures who came before them, making this model the basis still for a large segment of today’s workforce. The Millennials, noted for their propensity towards teamwork, for their tendency to disregard traditional hierarchies, and for their loyalty to individuals rather than organizations, present a significant challenge to leaders still functioning in the command-and-control model of management. Like the U.S. military, many organizations are finding that the traditional, time-honoured rules of management and reward don’t appear to work with this generation. Part II Of this article series will focus more in-depth on the "What's In It For Me?" Workforce.
According to the New Politics Institute, a political think tank in the United States, the size of this generation is "truly staggering,” larger even than the Baby Boomers.
Characteristics
Born prior to 1945, the Mature Generation created a workforce reflecting the clear “chain of command” hierarchy of the military. The model follows as such: Employees work hard to achieve higher ranks. Promotions and raises are granted once an employee has proved themselves, and people define success as “climbing the company ladder and earning the rewards that come with greater responsibility.”
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